Current:Home > MyKen Jennings reveals Mayim Bialik's 'Jeopardy!' exit 'took me off guard'-LoTradeCoin
Ken Jennings reveals Mayim Bialik's 'Jeopardy!' exit 'took me off guard'
View Date:2024-12-23 19:52:10
Ken Jennings reveals Mayim Bialik's "Jeopardy!" exit came as a shock to the quiz show legend, now the show's sole remaining host.
"Jeopardy!" announced that Jennings and Bialik would split hosting duties in July 2022. Amid ongoing Hollywood strikes, Jennings stepped in to host this season of "Celebrity Jeopardy!" that debuted in September. The "Blossom" star announced in a Dec. 15 Instagram post that she would no longer host the syndicated game show.
"It took me off guard, because I loved working with my Mayim and I’m gonna miss her," Jennings said in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday. "I can’t speak to her decision-making process or her opinions about it. But on my end, I’m just a fan of 'Jeopardy!' and I’m always delighted to host when they call upon me. I just feel extremely lucky to have even been considered for this job as a non-broadcaster."
Mayim Bialik announcesshe's 'no longer' hosting 'Jeopardy!'
Bialik, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and Jennings, who tops the game show's leaderboard for consecutive victories and largest regular-season winnings, were among the guest hosts tapped to fill in following Alex Trebek's November 2020 death. Sony Pictures Television eventually selected executive producer Mike Richards as permanent host. But he resigned less than two weeks later due to controversy over past remarks and unrest among the show's staff.
Bialik stepped away from the "Jeopardy!" podium this summer in solidarity with striking Hollywood writers, according to a report from industry outlet Deadline.
At the time, "Jeopardy!" had one week of taping left in Season 39 that was meant to be hosted by Bialik, but Jennings crossed the picket line to finish the series' production before the summer hiatus, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.
In her Instagram statement, Bialik attributed the decision of her leaving the syndicated show to Sony, which a spokesperson for the show confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY. "We made the decision to have one host for the syndicated show next season to maintain continuity for our viewers, and Ken Jennings will be the sole host for syndicated 'Jeopardy!'"
Jennings told "THR" he's "been learning (the hosting ropes) as I go" and acknowledged "it’s impossible to fill (Trebek's) shoes. But it’s such an honor and and hopefully I look forward to 37 more years of doing it, when I’ll be a very, very old man."
Contributing: Kelly Lawler
Alex Trebek's 'Jeopardy!' hosting adviceshared with Ken Jennings night before his death
veryGood! (6)
Related
- A list of mass killings in the United States this year
- New Biden rule would make 4 million white-collar workers eligible for overtime pay
- Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to allow armed teachers, a year after deadly Nashville shooting
- Student-pilot, instructor were practicing emergency procedures before fatal crash: NTSB
- Patricia Heaton criticizes media, 'extremists' she says 'fear-mongered' in 2024 election
- Don Steven McDougal indicted in murder, attempted kidnapping of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham
- Finding a financial advisor can be daunting. We rank the top firms.
- Suspect in break-in at Los Angeles mayor’s official residence charged with burglary, vandalism
- Why Suits' Gabriel Macht Needed Time Away From Harvey Specter After Finale
- What is record for most offensive players picked in first round of NFL draft? Will it be broken?
Ranking
- Mega Millions winning numbers for November 12 drawing: Jackpot rises to $361 million
- Minnesota senator charged with burglary says she was retrieving late father's ashes
- Teen charged in mass shooting at LGBTQ+ friendly punk rock show in Minneapolis
- The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Is Still a Bipartisan Unicorn
- Why Amanda Seyfried Traded Living in Hollywood for Life on a Farm in Upstate New York
- US Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey, has died at 65 after a heart attack
- New FAFSA rules opened up a 'grandparent loophole' that boosts 529 plans
- In honor of Earth Day 2024, today's Google Doodle takes us on a trip around the world
Recommendation
-
Man charged with murder in fatal shooting of 2 workers at Chicago’s Navy Pier
-
Don Steven McDougal indicted in murder, attempted kidnapping of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham
-
As romance scammers turn dating apps into hunting grounds, critics look to Match Group to do more
-
Douglas DC-4 plane crashes in Alaska, officials say
-
DWTS' Gleb Savchenko Shares Why He Ended Brooks Nader Romance Through Text Message
-
Prosecutors argue Trump willfully and flagrantly violated gag order, seek penalty
-
IndyCar disqualifies Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin from St. Pete podium finishes
-
Courteney Cox Reveals Johnny McDaid Once Broke Up With Her One Minute Into Therapy